"Their" is about possession - ex: I see that our neighbors forgot to move their trash can to the curb.
"There" is about place -- ex: over here, over there
"They're" is short for "They are."
"Their" is about possession - ex: I see that our neighbors forgot to move their trash can to the curb.
"There" is about place -- ex: over here, over there
"They're" is short for "They are."
Ayaan F. answered 12/29/25
High School Senior | Tutoring Middle & Early High School
They're = abbreviation for "they are"
Their = used when something belongs to someone, or more often, a group of people e.g. "their hospitality made me smile"
There = a place; location. Example: "Over there, you will find a restaurant."
Maggie H. answered 12/06/25
MFA in Writing With Over 5 Years Teaching Literature in Higher Ed
This is a common question! They're, their, and there sound exactly the same, but they each have different functions in a sentence.
THEY'RE
"They're" is a contraction...similar to "can't" or "don't." While "can't" expands to "cannot," and "don't" expands to "do not"...they're expands to they are. At first, it helps to ask yourself when writing, "Does this instance of they're/their/there make sense if I expand it to 'they are?'"
Here are some examples of they're in a sentence:
THEIR
The word "their" implies possession. Something that is mentioned belongs to the pronoun "them." Similar to how something that is hers or his belongs to the pronoun "her"or "him." You can identify possession by seeing if the context implies belonging to.
Here are some examples of their in a sentence:
THERE
There refers to a place. You are familiar with the word "here," which is also a non-specific way of referring to place, and there is a similar word. You can safely use this form of their/there/they're if you look at the sentence and see that the word is referring to a location. It can also be a vague way to reference or introduce something (example, there are too many bees).
Here are some examples of using "there."
Hopefully that helps! There are plenty of commonly confused words in the English language, and I'm always happy to break them down for you.
James V. answered 10/13/25
Harvard & Yale Alum, Adjunct Professor | Grammar & Writing Expert
Although their, they're, and there are a common point of confusion, the difference is straightforward once you learn the specific role each word plays. Getting these details right is crucial for crafting the polished essays needed for highly selective applications.
Their is a possessive pronoun. It shows that something belongs to a group of people.
Memory Trick: The word heir is inside "their," and an heir is someone who inherits possessions.
They're is a contraction, which is a shortened form of two words. It always means "they are."
Memory Trick: The apostrophe (') is taking the place of the letter "a" in the word "are." If you can substitute "they are" into the sentence and it still makes sense, you're using it correctly.
There typically refers to a place or location. It can also be used to introduce a sentence or state the existence of something.
Memory Trick: The word here is inside "there," and both words refer to a place.
Suzie S. answered 08/20/25
ON LINE/FACE to FACE: Accent Reduction - College APS - Essays - Speech
So simple!
Their - a pronoun with two pronouns in it: HE and I (and if you are rich: heir! haha)
There - a place - with HERE (another place) in the word
They're - a contraction (see the apostrophe?) they (hiccup take out a add ') re
BOOM!
These three words sound the same, but they have different meanings and uses:
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